The Art Of Taxidermy

Yup, the title says art – and yes it will make PETA’s blood boil. Taxidermy is no longer something to be associated with smelly bearded trophy hunters; it has made its way into high profile art galleries around the world.  There’s a certain awe associated with taxidermy, remember that kid you were who gawked at the giant brown bear in the museum – I certainly was one of them. I’m not defending Taxidermy just yet, though. While researching for this post I saw some pretty shocking things and some people should be ashamed of themselves.

It’s impossible however to dismiss taxidermy as an art form, and some taxidermists are true artists who put massive effort into their work, and create the deceptive illusion of life when it’s no longer there. 

Erick Swensen creates beautiful, haunting scenes using taxidermy as an element. Untitled (pictured above) is a stunning example of his work: fabricating an almost mystical spectacle and capturing a single moment in the panicked deer’s life, with sheer perfection.

Cai Guo Qiang recently had a solo exhibition titled "I Want to Believe" at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. The exhibition included this spectacular taxidermy installation called Head On. 90 wolves were suspended from the ceiling depicting a dreamlike scene of a pack of wolves in forward propulsion which abruptly collides with a glass wall.

Polly Morgan is a young British taxidermy artist who creates tiny intimacies and frail habitats with a touch of morbid splendor. She is inspired by the very moment between something dying and decaying.

Thomas Grunfeld’s work is incredibly creepy. He’s exceptionally skilled however. Like a kid he creates make-believe animals by combining different creatures’ heads and body parts. He does this seamlessly as a taxidermist – and his art is painfully believable.

Sarina Brewer creates custom fantasy creatures also more formally known as Chimeras that seem to be straight out of a fantasy novel. Her work is disturbing and provocative. She is a co-founder of the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists and aims to expand the imaginative potential of taxidermy by manipulating and disobeying the limits of the natural world.

Maurizio Cattelan is known for his tragicomedy. The above image illustrates this strange genre and depicts a scene of a post-suicide squirrel strangely titled "bidibidobidiboo."

The Idiots is a Dutch Taxidermy threesome who combines their skills with glass, metal, embroidery, and taxidermy. Their work is strangely playful and contemporary – a borderline world between fantasy and reality; and life and death.

I “met” the creator of the above artwork, Melissa Dixon  on 1 in 8 million a few months ago.  She’s obsessed with canines and handles facial features with creepy precision - spending most of her time researching the creatures she so lovely brings to life in their natural habitat.